Propellers · Honest referrals & vibration diagnosis
Damaged propeller? Here’s who to call.
We don’t repair propellers ourselves. These are the two specialists we send our own customers to. And if the vibration is still there once the prop is fixed, that’s where we come in.
- No referral fees, ever
- Driveline and vibration diagnosis
- Props sized for every repower
- Spotswood · Port Phillip Bay
The specialists we recommend
Precision Propellers
Montrose, Victoria
A Melbourne propeller reconditioning specialist, and the local call for strike damage and tired props. They recondition bronze and aluminium propellers, with welding where needed, digital measurement, balancing and refinishing.
- Strike and ding damage
- Reconditioning and balancing
- Bronze and aluminium
Austral Propellers
Peakhurst, Sydney · ships Australia-wide
Australian propeller manufacturer with its own foundry and machine shop. Alongside new and custom propellers, they recondition all makes, and can change pitch, weld in blade sections and add or repair cupping.
- New and custom propellers
- Pitch changes and major rework
- Large and commercial props
We recommend both on their work alone, with no commissions or referral fees. Tell them Mariner Engineering sent you.
Is it the prop?
Signs your propeller needs a specialist.
- You hit something and the boat now buzzes
- Visible bends, nicks or gouges in the blades
- New vibration through the hull or wheel at speed
- Less speed at the same revs
- More fuel for the same trip
- Cavitation noise that wasn’t there before
How repair works
Most damaged props can be saved.
A strike bends a blade a few degrees, the pitch goes out of true, and the whole driveline starts to buzz. Left alone, that vibration costs speed and fuel, and wears the gearbox, shaft bearings and engine mounts.
Propeller reconditioning is a specialist trade with its own equipment: pitch blocks, balancing rigs and digital measurement. Done properly, it brings a prop back to its original shape.
What a propeller shop can do
- Straighten and reshape blades after a strike
- Weld in damaged or missing blade sections
- Measure, correct and change pitch
- Balance the propeller
- Add or repair cupping
- Polish and refinish
Still vibrating?
When it isn’t the propeller.
We often see boats where the prop has been fixed and the vibration is still there, because the cause was somewhere else in the driveline.
Worn or collapsed engine mounts
Soft or cracked mounts let the engine move, and throw the alignment out with it.
Shaft out of line with the engine
After a strike, a refit or years of settling, the engine and shaft can drift out of alignment.
A worn cutless bearing
A worn bearing lets the shaft move in the tube. It’s replaced with the boat out of the water.
A bent shaft
A strike hard enough to bend a blade can bend the shaft too. It needs measuring, not guessing.
A loose or worn coupling
A coupling that isn’t true runs out of line at every rev.
Our part
Find the real cause before you spend.
Mounts, alignment, cutless bearings and couplings are driveline work, which is what we do. We find the cause first, then fix it or point you to the right specialist. Engine mounts and shaft alignment are part of our yacht servicing too.
Questions
Propeller questions we’re asked
Do you repair propellers?
No. Propeller repair is a specialist trade with its own equipment, so we send our customers to Precision Propellers in Montrose or Austral Propellers in Sydney.
Which specialist should I use?
For strike damage and reconditioning on most yacht and powerboat props, Precision Propellers is the local call. For new or custom propellers, pitch changes and major rework, go to Austral Propellers, which makes propellers in its own Sydney foundry.
Do you get a referral fee?
No. We recommend both businesses on their work alone.
The prop’s been fixed and it still vibrates. Now what?
That usually means the cause is elsewhere in the driveline: engine mounts, shaft alignment, the cutless bearing or the coupling. Book a diagnosis and we’ll find it.
What propeller does my new engine need?
Matching the propeller to the engine’s power and gear ratio is part of every repower we do.
Vibration you can’t explain?
Tell us about the boat and when it happens. We’ll find the cause.